Tourism continues to be a major force in the economy

Stats NZ says it shows tourism spending in New Zealand has hit 46.6 billion dollars, up 3.3 percent on last year.

International visitors spent 18.1 billion dollars - a seven percent jump.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa CEO Rebecca Ingram says 11 percent of all jobs are created by the sector.

She says it's great to see the industry's passion for what they do is translating into more jobs, valuable export earnings and continued growth.